The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-03-23
Proposed and Opposed in the
House of Commons.
SECRETARY SMITH VS.. MORLEY
II the House Rejects 1t, 1t Will Go
to the Country-Some Warm
Debate-Etc.
In the Commons

House of Commons, this evening, and
moved that the bill for the amendment
of the criminal law in Ireland have
precedence over all the orders of the
day. He said that government were
bound to act under a sense of public
duty, particularly when they found
juries in that country intimidated, and
notorious criminals, whose deeds were
inimlcal to the existence of society
getting off scot free. Mr.. Smith said he
would
REFRAIN FROM STATING THE DETAILS
of the measure, leaving that to
the Chief Secretary for Ireland.
What he now urged was that
the measure was absolutely neces-
sary for the security and happi-
ness of the law abiding population of
Ireland. Referring TO the proposed
amendment offered last night, by John
Morley, rejecting the declaration of
urgency for the government bill, Mr..
Smith reminded the house how Mr..
Gladstone resisted the adoption of a
similar amendment in 1881. The posi-
ton of the government now was the
same as that of Mr.. Gladstone's govern
ment then, regarding the
AMELIoRATIoN POLICY TOWARD IRELAND.
The speaker said the governments land
bill would be divided into two parts.
one of these would be introduced imme-
diately, and the other would be the land
purchase bill. The wide scope of both
measures would be found to be framed
an ho nlo Of
tee. the speaker, however, thought
that government could not hope that
any measure framed on these lines
would satisfy the Irish National League,
which, he said was the successor of the
Land League and was the cause of all
| the
DISCRIMINATION AND TERRORISM PEP
yADING IRELAND.
Smith said he hoped the House would
speedily adopt governments measures.
If the House did not adopt them gov
eminent would be compelled to ask the
opinion of the country to either con-
form to their policy or relieve them of
the responsibilities Of government.
Mr.. John Morley, in moving the rejec-
ton of the urgency, denied, absolutely,
Smiths assertions as to the lawless con-
dition of Ireland and demanded that
! the government give the comparative
| statistics of crime in Ireland, which, he
said, would show that, beyond certain
very narrow area,
THE COUNTRY HAD SELDOM BEEN QUIETER.
Governments property restrictive legis-
lation would only aggravate such evils
as existed, and would weaken and spoil
whatever remedies they had in store.
The land commission had declared that
| the cause of the combinations among
the people was che inability of tenants
! to pay excessive rents. It had been
shown that the Irish landlords COM
bined the habits of extravaganza in
| emulation of the richer landlords of
| England, with the system of rack-rent.
No matter how hard the tenants might
strive to meet their rents, this
wRETcHED LANDLORD SYSTEM CRUSHED
THEM.
The coercion proposals of govern
ment appeared to be based upon the
idea that the people of Ireland were in
dolent and dishonest. But those
who knew them had diff
erent conception of their character.
They believed them to be honest, hard.
working and truthful. He could only
regard the bill as measure
designed to enable the landlords
to extort exofbitant rents, throwing
law on the side of the rich, removing
ali coercive or protective power which
the tenants derived from COM
bining and putting coercion upon
the unfortunate tenants. He was
less anxious to secure rents
for some landlords than to
PROCURE JUST RENTS
for those good and honest working peo-
pie. NChesrs) Some landlords practiced
a plan OF cam paign of their own, more
immoral and more deserving of being
called a swindle than was the plan of
the tenants. Some land agents at
tempted to coerce the tenants into
buy Ing under the Ashnurton act, die
tating terms of purchase and threaten
| ing to evict unless the tenant consents,
| vet the government demanded urgency
| Tor q bill giving such men power to
| force tenants to pay unreasonable rent.
| or to purchase ct unreasonable prices.
Behind this bill lay another proposal,
that the British taxpayer be security, if
coer ion of the tenants failed to satisfy
landlords. 1t was Irish history over
again. Moral wrongs were pressing upon
the suffering people, without legal
remedy; then illegal acts to secure
something like moral rights; then co
ercion. driving just discomfort under
the surface and exciting fiercer dlseon-
tent. (Cheers.l The wlsest pon cy was
REMEDIAL LEGISLATION,
which would destroy the roots OF dis
content. In 1881, when the coercion
bill was passed, the number OF eVictions
rose enormously. The number OF out
RACES increased from ITO in February,
| 1881, to 479 in. January, 1882; and to oSl
in March. (Hear! Hear!) He doubted
whether the excessive penal laws OF the
eighteenth century did more injury q